'Tis the holy month. In Malaysia as elsewhere, that means dawn to dusk fasting for Muslims. And for Malaysians of all religions, a frenzy of feasting when the sun sets, on treats picked up at one of many Ramadan bazaars that spring up, like mushrooms in the forest at the height of the rainy season, all over the country, or at special buka puasa (breaking the fast) meals organized by many a restaurant.
Here in our neck of the woods Pinang Masak is putting on a buka puasa spread every evening until 9pm. We enjoyed this casual little eatery's scrumptious lontong and assam laksa back when it opened last January, and in the interim I've nipped down to the place more than a few times to pick up a little something for lunch. When we moved house a couple of months ago a solid week of lunches, and a couple of dinners, originated from their nasi spread. Highlights of those 6 days were a sweet and wickedly heaty sambal sotong (squid in chile paste), an admirable array of ulam (vegetables and herbs) to dip in fishy and fiery sambal belacan, and a smoky ikan bakar - a whole small mackerel rubbed with coconuty chile paste and stuffed with daun kesom (Vietnamese coriander), then wrapped in a banana leaf and grilled.
Lunch on a recent Saturday proved that Pinang Masak continues to turn out carefully crafted Malay food that tastes like it came from mom's kitchen, if your mom was Malay. Selection from the nasi table is limited on Saturdays (there's little in the way of ulam, and fewer dishes), but there's always something interesting, like this whole mackerel simmered with rebung (preserved bamboo shoots) in a turmeric and coconut milk-based gulai (thin curry), a beautiful balance of santan richness and rebung tartness. Notable also were the petai (stink beans) and ikan bilis (small dried anchovies) stir-fried in sambal and a not-too-sweet, lightly salty pineapple curry with fish (top photo, second and third from right, respectively).
A meal at Pinang Masak isn't complete without a heaping helping of the spicy-sweet and fishy sambal, served warm and best eaten, in my opinion, with nothing but a bit of rice.
It's a curious fact that here in Malaysia - a country with 60% Malay population - truly delicious Malay food can sometimes be difficult to find (it's said that the best is cooked in home kitchens). Visitors to KL take note - Pinang Masak may be a bit out of the way, but it's worth the effort and small expense of wrangling a taxi and getting yourself over to Bukit Tunku for a meal.
Pinang Masak, ground floor of the low-rise apartments on Jalan Langkak Tunku (off Jalan Duta). 7am-7pm, except during Ramadan, when it's open 12:30pm-9pm. Closed Sundays.
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